Electric railway



(No Model.)

,H. W. LIBBEY.

ELEOTRIG RAILWAY.

No. 436,425. Patented Sept. 16, 1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOSEA IV. LIBBEY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 436,425, datedSeptember 16, 18 90.

Application filed November 14, 1889. Serial No. 330,337. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HOSEA W. LIBBEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Boston, in the county of Sutfolk and State of Massachusetts,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Railways,of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, is a specification.

My invention relates to electric railways; and it consists in certaindetails of construction wherebyl produce a road with overhead electricalconductors, but without the use of a continuous Wire overhead, ashereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 representsa sideelevation of a car and overhead electric conductors embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 is a plan or top view, and Fig. 3 is an end View ofthe same. Figs. 4 to 8 are detail views.

In constructing an electric road embodying my invention a positiveelectric conductor A, that connects with the source of electric supply,is laid under ground, preferably along the curb of the sidewalk, nearthe edge of which is erected a row of hollow posts B, the upper end ofeach being provided with a bracket 12, in which a square hole is formednear its upper end and a corresponding hole is formed in the upper endof the next post B.

' C is a square bar of metal, which just fits and passes through theholes in the post and bracket. The outerend of the bar 0 is formed witha screw-threaded nipple, onto which is screwed a hollow forked arm D. Iprefer to form this arm as shown in Fig. 4-that is, of a cross-piece ofpipe 1, one short straight arm 2, and two bent arms 3 3, which maybe ofordinary gas-pipe. The under side of the bar 0 is hollowed out andcoated with insulating material, in which hollow is secured awire E,(see Figs. 4, 5, and 6,) Fig. 4 being a horizontal section through thepost, bar, and forked arm; Fig. 5, a section through the upper end ofthe post and bar,taken on line a: m of Fig. 4 and Fig. 6 is a similarsection taken on line 1 y of Fig. 4. The wire E is in contact with awire A, that passes up the post B from the conductor A, and is held atits upper end by any suitable device. If desired, a branch wire A (seeFig. 5) may be secured to the wire A and be carried through the bracket2) (which will then be formed hollow) and secured so that its upper endwill be in contact with the wire D. One end of the wire D passes throughthe nipple, and is connected to three wires cl, (see Fig. 4,) that arecoated with insulating material and pass through the arms 2 3 3, theouter ends of the wires being each attached to a block or saddle F, inor to which rollers G are attached. The bar O is free to be pushed in orout, as required, and when in the required position is held by aset-screw c. I U

From the above it will seen that the electric current passes along themain conductor A, up the wires A, then by the wire D to the wires d, andthence by the blocks F to the rollers G.

H represents a car, to the roof ofwhich, by means of a bracket, issecured acontact-plate I. The bracket for carrying this contact- .plateI prefer to make of hinged sections, so

that when not in use it can be folded upon the top of the car. I

In the drawings, Figs. 3 and 7, I have shown it consisting of an uprightpiece 4, secured to the roof of the car, to which is hinged a bar 5, tothe upper end of which is hinged an arm 6, that carries thecontact-plate I. The bar 5 may be held in an upright position on thepiece 4 by means of a sleeve 7, which. can be slipped over the hingedjoint, .as shown, thereby making, as it were, one bar, and the arm 6 maybe supported by a bar 8, hinged to the upright bar 5 and arm 6, andprovided with a knuckle-joint 9. By this arrangement the contact-plate Iwill be held by the car so as to come in contact with the rollers Or,(when the latter have been set and held in a proper position by theset-screw 0;) but when not required for use the arms and contact-platecan be folded so as to rest upon the top of the car, as shown in dottedlines in Fig. 3, by simply breaking the knuckle-joint in the bar 8 andslipping the sleeve 7 up free at the hinge joint. The electric currentpassing from the roller G to the plate I is conducted by a wire J to amotor K on the car, and from thence by a brush L (see Fig. 1) to therail in the ordinary manner. It will be seen that by this constructionall overhead wires are dispensed with, thereby leaving the center of theroads clear, and in places where the streets cross no interference oftravel by reason of overhead wires will exist, and at the same ,time thecontacts from the positive .Wire to the car are overhead, and little, ifany, danger exists, as contact with the main electric conductor can bemade only at certain pointsviz., at the rollers G.

Instead of having the plate I stand vertically and the rollershorizontally, their positions may be reversedviz., the plate I may behorizontal and the rollers G vertical, as shown in Fig. 8.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In an electric railway, a series ofcolumns, each having a bracket and a furcated arm, the outer end of eachprong forming a contact-point, all of which points are connected toapositive electric conductor laid underconnection with the pointinadvance, whereby the motor on .the car is constantly in connection withthe positive conductor, but at successive points along the line,substantially as set forth.

3. The post B, having a bracket b, in combination with the square bar 0,forked arm D, blocks F, rollers G, and the wires (1 d, E, and A formaking contact with the underground positive cohductor A, substantiallyas set forth.

4. The adjustable square bar 0, havinga recess in its under side andawire E, secured in said recess, in combination with the post B, bracket12, and wire A, whereby the wire E will always be in electrical contactwith the wire A, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 20th day of September, A.D. 1889.

HOSEA W. LIBBEY.

Witnesses:

CHAS. STEERE, EDWIN PLANTA.

